LifeChange Story Archive

		The moment is frozen in Brian Whitacres' mind: he is standing over a friend’s sink preparing to use a needle to inject heroin. Injecting the drug is something Brian promised himself he would never do, and he had broken so many promises and shattered many of his dreams already. Brian was homeless except that a friend let him stay at his apartment. It was that night over the sink, that Brian stopped himself from injecting the drug and started asking God for a way out.>>Learn More
		In high school, he seemed like an ideal teen. He was in advance placement math and science classes and loved to play soccer. From outward appearances, there was nothing to indicate in a few short years he would be deeply involved in drugs and crime. Daniel’s parents split up when he was five, and Daniel lived with his dad alone until his father re-married when Daniel was 13 and his stepmother and stepsister moved in. Daniel’s dad was strict about rules and finishing homework and had to balance his high stress job as a District Attorney with being a single father.>>Learn More
		Doug lay on the ground and screamed. He was screaming for God’s help. After using and selling meth for two and half years and many more years of alcohol abuse, he was at the end of his rope. Doug was walking to his Mom’s house and he stopped and sat on the bench and started to cry because he felt so lost and hopeless, and his pain became so intense he lay on the ground and screamed.>>Learn More
		From the outside, everything looked perfect, the American Dream. A home, a wife and two young sons, and a carefully tended garden, but inside something was wrong. Darren loved working on his garden and he loved the idea of a happy home and family, but it was rapidly unraveling. Darren’s marriage was falling apart and his addiction to alcohol and dabbling in meth use was taking its toll, not only on the marriage but his work life. >>Learn More
		Dave White is one of six LifeChange members who will graduate February 2006. After four years in LifeChange, Dave calls the incredible changes in his life, especially in his spiritual life, “an awesome journey.” >>Learn More
		When you see John Parsons tenderly holding the hand of his wife Kerri, and getting choked with emotion as they recall their long journey to repairing their severely damaged marriage, it’s almost impossible to believe that four years ago that his outstanding character trait was anger. >>Learn More
		Although he is in his early 30s, Mike looks several years younger. He could be your lanky teenage neighbor. But looks are deceptive- Mike has been through something tougher than many people experience in a lifetime. >>Learn More
		Russ Silver’s brother was in Union Gospel Mission’s LifeChange recovery community, but had left. It was on one terrifying night with his brother that Russ made a decision that changed his life. >>Learn More
		“I’m a heroin addict and I need help.” Imagine standing in front of your church congregation, including your mom and dad and saying these words. That’s the incredible step Sandy Golding took a few weeks before joining LifeChange, an addiction recovery community in the summer of 2001. >>Learn More
		Dan Nelson pictured above "before" and "after" LifeChange. The physical changes are evident, but more important changes have happened for Dan that are not visible to the eye. Dan has completed LifeChange after struggling with a 25- year addiction to cocaine and other drugs. More changes are on the horizon for Dan, as he starts his new job right here at Union Gospel Mission as the Men's Recruitment Specialist. He will be reaching out to men who are hopeless and struggling to break free of the hold of addiction. >>Learn More
		Kim used and sold “meth” and was an alcoholic for many years. Four years ago, she was drunk and homeless on the streets when a police car picked her up and took her to a hospital, where she “detoxed” while still drinking vodka she had snuck into her hospital room. >>Learn More
		One of the most painful experiences a person can imagine is the loss of a child. Imagine if what you thought to be a tragic, inexplicable accidental death turned out to be the murder of your child? This painful tragedy was what ultimately led Patricia to LifeChange four years ago. Patricia, like many other LifeChange residents, has had a lifetime of hard experiences leading to a moment of crying out for help. >>Learn More

What is LifeChange?

LifeChange is a community. Each member of LifeChange lives and works together at the Mission. The cornerstone of LifeChange is faith in the transforming power of Jesus Christ. LifeChange is a peer-based, each resident helps each other to identify issues and grow in their recovery. LifeChange is self-governed, as residents work together to make decisions as a community. LifeChange is long-term, and goal– oriented. Most residents spend two to four years to complete LifeChange.

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